Memories And Embers
by mrsdarsie
Summary: Sequel to 'Watching The World Burn'. Kate can no longer fight her feelings for Simon, and decides to return to The Sanctuary to find him. But what will she discover when she arrives, and will she regret leaving the safety of her new community for the possibility of Negan's wrath? Simon/OC, Negan/OC
1. Chapter 1

_****This is the sequel to 'Watching The World Burn'. I just want to give a spoiler warning, as I am basing this story heavily off the comics.****_

Chapter 1 -'Dellilah'

 _Kate pushed through the overgrown brush at the side of the road. Ahead, she could hear Simon screaming for her, but she couldn't find him. There were cars on fire in the middle of the highway, and the smoke obscured her vision. The screams were growing louder, ones of pain and desperation. She tried to push through the weeds but they kept tangling at her feet._

" _Kate! Kate!" Simon continued to call out for her._

"Kate? Kate, are you okay?" a tall man placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Kate had been having nightmares for the last week. It was nearly three months to the day that she had escaped Negan and arrived at Mount Vernon. With each day that passed, it was becoming more clear that no one was looking for her. But she was still convinced that she was not 100% safe.

"Thanks, Hank, but I'm fine." Kate rolled over on her cot and smiled. Hank Smith was in the tent next to her, and always came to check on her when her terrors were especially bad. Hank, Kate had learned, had been at Mount Vernon from the 'beginning'. He had worked there as the resident livestock veterinarian, and couldn't bare to leave the animals on their own. The more they got to know each other, the more they realized they had a lot in common. Both had lost a sibling at a young age. Both lived in the same area of Washington DC before the world 'ended'. In fact, as it turned out, Kate discovered that she had once treated Hank's mother in the ER for the flu.

Kate dressed and pulled on her boots. She could hear people moving around outside, as the sun started to rise over the horizon. People talked and laughed, working together as the readied for their day. All in all, there were about thirty people at Mount Vernon, many of whom had remembered the historical property in a rush to escape the Metro area when there was no where else to go. Everyone had a job, and a means to keep pushing forward. Everyone genuinely wanted to see this community thrive.

Kate's first stop was to the kitchen, where she found fresh bread and whatever fruit was in season. She was handed a plate with a smile from a young boy and his mother. Kate thanked them and took a seat on the grass outside. Even now, in this place that was better than anything she could have hoped for, she couldn't stop thinking about Simon. She had no idea if he was still alive. Had Negan killed Simon when he discovered that she was gone? If Simon was alive, did he miss her? These questions filled her head almost every waking moment. Try as she may, she couldn't find anything that would fully distract her from her demons.

After breakfast, Kate made her way to the large tent that was staked to the main lawn of the estate. This was the medical tent; Kate's second home. After recovering from her fever when she first arrived, one of the medics realized that Kate was a true asset, and immediately gave her a job in their hospital. At first, Kate was in awe. They tent looked like something out the Revolutionary War. Old leather bound books on anatomy and herbal medicines lined one table, while another contained all manners of jars, dried leaves, and even some medical instruments from the house's museum.

Elizabeth had been a part time curator at the museum before the fall of society, and she believed that this was the only way that things could run smoothly, medically speaking. She shunned any modern medication in the camp for the pure fact that it would expire, sooner or later. That, and she wasn't as familiar with pharmaceuticals as she was with herbs. So she amassed an extensive collection, and no one ever complained about her remedies not working for them. In addition to her love for history, she was also a retired hospice nurse. She was realistic and sometimes unfavorable in her mood, but she knew her natural herbs.

"Good morning, Kate. Nightmares again?" Elizabeth was boiling bandages in a large pot over a fire pit that was outside the tent.

"Nice to see you, too. No, I didn't sleep well."

"I know that I'm not always the easiest person to talk to, but I have one piece of advice for you."

"Shoot", Kate responded, finishing her slice of bread.

"When you go back looking for Simon, take at least one other person with you."

This statement shocked Kate. She had told Elizabeth everything when she had first arrived at Mount Vernon. She didn't want to hide anything, and more importantly, she wanted to get it off her shoulders. That, and she was later told that she screamed for Simon in the midst of her fever dream. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that Elizabeth was right. Sooner or later, if she wanted to sleep at night, she was going to have to go back to the Sanctuary.


	2. Shady Grove

**Chapter 2 - Shady Grove**

When Kate couldn't sleep, _(as opposed to the countless times that she awoke screaming,)_ she would walk up to the cupola of the house at Mount Vernon, and stare out over the Potmac River at night. There was nothing but darkness now, total and utter darkness. Sometimes she was sure that she saw lights in the distance, and wondered who they belonged to. Tonight, however, she found that she wasn't alone in her solitude. When she gently climbed the creaky stairs, she found Hank leaning against the ancient pane of glass.

"You're secret's out. Sorry." Hank smiled, and stepped to the side. Kate stood next to him, their arms almost touching in the small space.

"I can't help but think that this was your hiding place before I stole it." Kate confessed

" Guilty as charged. When I worked here, before the walkers, I used to come up here from time to time, after the visitors went home. And at Christmas, when the house was still and everyone was gone, the lights looked amazing over the river. Just beautiful." Hank let his words drift off with his memory in a soft sadness.

"I bet that was something." Kate agreed, and could almost see the candles lit in the windows and along the paths of the estate. She moved to sit down on the step, pulling her knees to her chest.

"Do you trust me, Kate?" Hank asked, turning to her. She was caught off guard by his question, and wasn't sure where this conversation was going.

"I barely know you, but you're a very trusting person. You're smart, you're strong. You mean what you say, and you seem to always keep your word. I think that pretty much completes a resume these days."

"Where did you come from, Kate?" Hank asked.

"You don't want to hear my sob story. It's the same as everyone else's. I lived, I lost, I survived." Kate had discussed her life before the _'end'_ with Hank, but she never told him about Simon. She never told him what she was forced to do to save the life of the man she loved. Or how Negan seemed to have some strange power over her, an obsession like she had never encountered before.

Hank pulled two bottles of beer from a basket that was hidden behind his feet. He popped the caps of on the edge of the window sill, and handed one to Kate. She took a long drink; it was dark and smooth, the most delicious thing she had drank in months. This was Hank's way of asking something that she didn't want to tell, the way he helped everyone confront their problems and their demons. He opened a beer for himself, took a seat, and listened.

Kate started at the beginning. She told Hank about how Simon had found her a top a shed, ready to take a flying leap into a herd of walkers. How over a few weeks, they had come to know each other, and fall in love. How she was forced to give into Negan's desires to save Simon's life, and how she had unintentionally enjoyed the sex with Negan. And finally, how she had the idea and courage to escape to Mount Vernon. Hank sat and listened, never taking his eyes off her, never interrupting Kate's story.

When finally Kate was finished, she sat her empty bottle down on the window ledge and rubbed her eyes. Hank had the whole truth now, and she wanted to know what he was going to do with it. It was her turn now to wait. Hank pulled another beer from the basket, opened it, and passed it to Kate.

"Well, there is only one thing I can think of to do." Hank finally answered, finishing his own beer.

"What's that?" Kate asked.

"Pack. You and I are going to the Sanctuary."

Kate stood quickly, her empty beer bottle shattering on the floor. The shock pulsed through her, almost like she had been struck by lightening.

"No. Absolutely not. No." Kate looked Hank straight in the eyes and wouldn't back down on this issue. All she could imagine was Negan getting a hold of her new friend, and she wasn't going to put Hank in that position. Hank was a really good person, one of the few that were left in the world.

"I'm not going to argue with you, Kate. But you can't go on your own. I don't know how you survived the trip here in the first place. Maybe it was luck, or adrenaline, or just a dire need to find safety. But you're not going back there alone."

"This isn't up for debate." Kate pushed passed Hank but he blocked her path. He had at least a foot on her height wise, and his was a lot stronger than she was. He simply stood, unmoving, so that she couldn't get back down the stairs.

" _Move._ Please." Kate demanded, still trying to push her smaller frame against his.

"You know that if you try to leave without me, I'll just follow you anyway, right? Kate, there is no way I can live with myself if you leave and I didn't help you. If you go out there by yourself, not knowing who or what will cross your path, I need to know you'll be okay."

And there is no way that I'll be able to live with myself when Negan kills you, Kate told herself.


	3. I'm Gonna Get Through This World

_I'm sorry the update has been so long in the making. I'm trying to get better about this. Thank you for your support and reviews!_

 **Chapter 3 - 'I'm Gonna Get Through This World"**

Kate and Hank left quietly in the morning, saying their good-byes to the people of their small community over a breakfast of warm mulled wine, biscuits, and smoked meat. When people asked why they were leaving, and so suddenly, Hank only assured them that it would be a quick trip to check on someone Kate had left behind. Hank left notes and journals - all of which he had started in the 'beginning' of his new life - so that no one would feel left in the dark if something were to happen to him. A few of the other men at Mount Vernon had become accustomed to the animals, which is why Hank felt comfortable leaving.

They walked together down to the dock, a few people trailing behind to see them off. Waiting for Hank and Kate was a small canoe, and placing a basket of supplies on to it was Elizabeth. She stood, floppy straw hat on her head, her hair on her hips, waiting for the pair.

"Well, don't die out there." Elizabeth half smiled, fighting the tears in her eyes. She hugged Hank tight, and then turned to Kate. There was a look on Elizabeth's face that sent a chill down Kate's spine. Kate knew that Elizabeth wasn't pleased with any of what was happening.

"I don't know what to say, Elizabeth." Kate looked to the boat, then down at her shoes.

"Just don't do anything foolish. Stay alive. Stay safe. Come back to us as soon as you can. Now, get in the boat. You don't want to waste any daylight."

Kate and Hank climbed carefully into the canoe, and waiving goodbye, set off down the river.

They didn't speak much on their journey, for multiple reasons. They didn't want to attract any unwanted attention, whether it be from walkers or from any living stragglers along the banks. The scenery offered little; abandoned cars, boats, and homes. The wildlife had become overgrown and seemingly taking back the river. They still heard birds in the distance, and even passed a doe drinking from the water's edge. Kate started to raise her rifle to take a shot, but Hank shook his head no. She knew that he was right; even if she killed it, where would they put it? They didn't have room in the boat, and to leave it would be a sin. So, they admired the animal and kept paddling.

"I'm looking at the map that you drew, and I think we might be getting close. Does this marina look familiar to you?" Hank was looking at the rough sketch that Kate had made before they left.

"Yes. I remember that yellow boat, and those oil drums. I'm almost certain that this is where I got on the river."

They paddled to a smaller dock and tied the boat to the landing. Hank climbed to shore first, wanting to gauge the immediate area for any threats. Finding none, he helped Kate tether and hide the canoe under the dock, as they loaded the packs and weapons on their backs. Kate drew her knife as a precaution, as they weaved a path between two fishing boats. Carefully they made their way to the gate, where they had a better look of the area. No walkers, no people. They were both pleased.

"I'm gonna see if I can start one of these cars." Hank stated. The small parking lot had several cars littered about, and if one of them could start, it would make it easier to cover more ground.

Kate kept watch while he worked. After the fourth dud, she was giving up the fantasy of not having to walk all afternoon. However, when she heard an engine rev to life, she went straight to work finding anything she could to syphon gas out of the other cars. After the better part of an hour, they had enough gallon jugs filled, as well as the gas tank of the dusty, foul smelling pick-up truck.

"Okay. I know you cut through the forest a bit. But from what you described, I think that they Sanctuary is actually this old factory." Hank was looking at a map that he had brought with him from Mount Vernon. It was an agricultural survey map of the greater part of the state. He had it folded over and over, just in order to read in on his lap.

Kate agreed, recognizing some of the names and route numbers that she read on the map.

A game plan together, the two sped off down the road in search of a place to haul up for the night. They were on the road for almost an hour when Kate fell asleep against the passenger side door. The drive lulled her to sleep. She felt both scared and hopeful as she closed her eyes, and let herself enjoy a few minutes of peace. She was terrified, not for her own life, but for Hank's. For Simon's. She had no idea what she was going to find.

Kate wasn't sure how long she had been asleep when she felt Hank shaking her shoulder.

"Kate, wake up. We have a problem." In front of them, stretching as far as they could see, was the largest walker hoard either of them had ever seen.


End file.
